It seems that intelligent content is content that adapts itself on the fly to the needs and wishes of the person consuming it. It’s guided partly by what the user is doing at the moment of consuming the content, partly by the device they’re using, and partly by what the content delivery platform already ‘knows’ about the user and what they’ve done previously.

What does it mean for writers?

For the people writing content that’s destined to be adaptive, we think it will lead to some big changes in mindset and approach.

As Noz Urbina says above, adaptive content is “free from format”. Writers can no longer assume their words will be consumed in a linear fashion, with the user starting at the beginning and following the writer’s narrative thread to the end. Instead, individual users will take different paths through the content, depending on where they are, what they’re doing and what they’re interested in.

The difference between writing traditional content and writing adaptive content may therefore be like the difference between writing a novel or screenplay, and writing a choose-your-own-adventure book or videogame. In all cases there is a story, but in the latter formats, the user selects the narrative path, rather than the writer.

For more on the challenges we think intelligent/adaptive content will present for copywriters and B2B marketers, listen to the podcast as we discuss:

How copywriting practices and business models will need to change

How it will affect collaboration between writers, designers and marketers